


It Runs In The Family

by Insufferable_KnowItAll



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Animaniacs angst, Animaniacs fluff, Gen, Sick Dot, Sick Wakko, Sick Yakko, Sickfic, This time with my OC Thea, Welcome to another self indulgent sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28924020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insufferable_KnowItAll/pseuds/Insufferable_KnowItAll
Summary: What do you get when you mix four chaotic puppy siblings and the flu? This fic! When Wakko falls ill, eldest Warner Thea does all in her power to care for him while preserving the health of her siblings. Oh, how the turntables.
Relationships: Dot Warner & Wakko Warner & Yakko Warner & Original Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	It Runs In The Family

**Author's Note:**

> This work features my OC, Dr. Dr. Dr. Theophania Apolline Pamela Spamela Bada Bing Bonnie “Thea” Warner, PhDx 3, the eldest Warner sister (16).  
> She was originally created to sing, but took on a more academic role after they were locked in the tower, as she felt guilty for being “irresponsible enough” to let it happen.  
> I hope you like her!

Wakko always started it. 

You’d think he’d have an immune system that could destroy any pathogen from the amount of disgusting non-food items he ate, but _noooo_. 

Thea Warner sat cross-legged on the couch, nose buried in a tome. If you asked her what she was reading about, she would chirp “Bacillus anthracis” before launching into an in-depth lecture about the microbiology behind anthrax. 

A girl has to have hobbies. 

Wakko crawled onto the couch. He rested his head on his older sister’s leg and curled up beside her. Had she looked down, she would have noticed how his face was scrunched into a pained grimace. 

“Hey, bud, what’s up?” She asked, absentmindedly reaching down to pet him. 

This was by no means a new occurrence. Wakko would curl up beside her while she read and she would smooth his fur. On occasion, he’d ask her to read, and she obliged, whether she was reading Poe or studying the pathophysiology of Lyme disease.

Thea would smile to herself after he inevitably fell asleep. 

When her hand brushed his forehead, she frowned, eyes snapping to him. He didn’t look so good. 

Thea’s brows knit in thought as she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. 

Hot. 

Alrighty then, time to put that nursing degree to good use. 

“I’m gonna go grab some supplies so I can get you checked out, ok? I’ll be back in five minutes. Is there anything you need before I leave the room?” 

He shook his head. 

Thea raced to collect her supplies. She didn’t know what she was up against, but she intended to find out as soon as possible. 

She decided to check on Yakko and Dot before she plunged into her assessment. She skidded to a halt just outside the room.

Dot was laying on the floor, legs swinging behind her. She was coloring. Her crayon moved in small, precise strokes across the page.

Yakko was reading. Probably an autobiography or something. His taste in nonfiction was a lot less fun than Thea’s, in her _correct_ opinion. 

Thea returned to Wakko, who was clutching his abdomen. Stomach issues. Got it. She set an emesis basin on the coffee table.

Next. 

He was shivering. _Poor kid._ She pulled a blanket out of her hammerspace (thank goodness for a dress with pockets) and draped it over him. 

She breezed through the rest of her assessment. It was practically muscle memory after all these years. 

She sighed. 

He had the flu and the others were next. 

It was like clockwork. Someone contracted an illness, be it a cold, the flu, or the bubonic plague, and then, despite her attempts to play defense, she was caring for 3 sick siblings. 

She didn’t spend eight years of her life crying over classes without reason. 

Thea gently carried Wakko to her bed. She’d take the couch. There was no _way_ she was putting him in the hammock.

Once she had him settled, she placed the emesis basin in his hands. 

“Here’s a barf bucket,” Thea trilled. 

“Awww, there’s none in here!” He complained, turning it over and shaking it, as if the nonexistent contents would suddenly spill out. 

“The way you’re going, Wak, there will be,” she retorted, “I’m going to go make some soup. Get some rest and call me if you need anything.”

She ruffled his hair affectionately before heading towards the kitchen.

When Thea arrived at her destination, she lunged for the sink. She scrubbed her hands with the same fervency as Lady Macbeth lamenting the nonexistent spot of blood.

She was going to keep the contagion contained with everything she had. Nobody else was going to fall ill on her watch! 

Thea sang What Baking Can Do to herself as she cooked. She had adopted that song as an anthem of sorts.

In the context of the show, it was a testament to Jenna’s perseverance while being trapped in an intolerable situation. 

Thea’s mind wandered to the Warners’ extensive imprisonment every time she sang it.

They had gotten through that.

They could get through anything. 

Yakko and Dot poked their heads into the kitchen. 

“Hey, sis, have you seen Wakko?” Yakko asked. 

“In my bed. Poor guy has the flu,” Thea replied, fully focused on the carrots she was dicing. 

“Oh, ok,” Dot responded. 

She and Yakko left abruptly. 

Thea’s head jerked up as the realization hit her. 

_They were about to do something stupid._

“Don’t you dare!” She called after them, even if she knew her efforts were fruitless.

Their family was as stubborn as they were loving. 

Thea’s suspicions were confirmed twenty minutes later. Her three younger siblings were curled up on her bed, all asleep.

Yakko’s arm was draped protectively over the other two. 

Wakko, sandwiched between the two, was curled into Yakko’s chest. He whimpered in his sleep. Thea made a mental note to recheck his temperature. 

Dot’s arm curled around Wakko’s chest. She pressed her forehead between his shoulder blades. 

So much for containing the spread. 

Oh well, she knew if she hadn’t been cooking, she would have done the same. 

“Wakey, wakey,” Thea sang, gently shaking Dot’s shoulder. 

“Knock it off,” Dot grumbled, swatting Thea’s hand. 

Thea relented. She leaned against the bed frame while her siblings got reacquainted with reality. 

“You guys are too stubborn for your own good,” Thea said with a hint of a smile. 

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black,” Yakko replied, smirking. 

“Well, then, I’ll be stubborn. Get out. I’m trying to care for my current patient, not acquire two new ones. Go. Scat. Shoo,” she ordered without any bite, lazily waving them away. 

Two of her predictions came true the next morning, _to her immense joy._

One, Wakko did in fact need the emesis basin. She rubbed his back and assured him that it was ok. It was. 

Dot, however, was not. 

Thea was gonna need more emesis basins. 

And a change of clothes. 

For a moment, Thea stared down at her dress in shock. The lavender fabric had become a bit, well, discolored. She nodded slowly as her brain raced to catch up to reality 

That was unexpected.

After the initial shock wore off, she changed her clothes and continued about her duties.

It’s not like this hadn’t happened to her before.

Thea begged Yakko to stay away in a last ditch effort to preserve his health. It took some convincing, but he agreed. 

She made another mental note to check in on him every 2 hours. 

Thea turned her attention back to her sick sibs. 

Dot was a bit more difficult to care for in the sense that she was a bit, well, demanding, but Thea never had to guess how her younger sister felt or what she wanted.  
  
And right now, Dot wanted to be held. 

Both of her sick siblings did. 

Ah, what the hell. They needed comfort and she had a good immune system. 

“Can you sing for us?” Dot asked weakly, adding a cough in for good measure. 

“If you’re going to be melodramatic about it, I suppose I have to,” Thea replied with a grin, “Any requests?”

“Ooh, that one from the musical!” Wakko said. 

Ah. Real specific.

“Care to elaborate, Wak?” Thea asked. 

“You know! The ones with those strange people in spandex!” He insisted. 

“Ohhh, you mean Cats!” Thea clarified. 

Wakko nodded.

Thea launched into a toned-down version of Memory. She loved the occasional melancholy lullaby. 

By the end of it, Wakko and Dot had fallen asleep on her. Dot was curled up in Thea’s lap with her head resting on her older sister’s chest. Wakko was nestled against Thea’s side. She had a protective arm around both of them. Her eyes flickered between her younger siblings. 

It should be illegal to be that cute. 

The sound of a throat clearing made her look up. 

“Hypocrite,” Yakko teased. He leaned against the end board casually. One hand was supporting his chin. The opposite arm was resting on the board. 

“After the incident with Dot, I don’t think _this_ is the thing that’d get me sick,” Thea stated. 

She stared at her younger brother for a moment. He looked even more fatigued than usual. 

And that was saying something. 

“You look… wrong,” She stated. 

“You have a way with words, sis,” he replied with a grin. She couldn’t help but notice how forced it seemed.

Yakko hated admitting he was sick as much as Thea did. 

“Oh, Yak… You’re sick,” Thea murmured. If her other siblings weren’t asleep on top of her, she would have been at his side in a moment. He was just as much her younger sibling as Wakko and Dot were. 

“Y’know what’s sick?” He responded in an attempt to distract her, “The amount of influential men in Hollywood and beyond who have used their power to exploit—” 

“Yakko…” Thea chided, giving her brother a motherly look. She had perfected it over the years. 

“Ok, ok.” 

He turned in the direction of the ball pit.

“Absolutely _not_. C’mere,” Thea ordered, carefully retracting the arm around Dot’s waist and gesturing towards him. 

Yakko sighed in resignation before shuffling to her bed. He curled up by her side, resting his head on her shoulder. He was shivering. She felt his forehead. As expected, he was hot. 

“Take one of those. Should help,” Thea stated, gesturing at the pill bottle on the table. 

Yakko obliged without any snarky comments. 

He really must have felt like shit. 

“You really could have told me you were sick before I sent you away, y’know. You deserve to be cared for, too, baby brother. You don’t have to be strong all the time,” she stated. 

“You’re one to talk. You’ve been putting on a brave face for 90 years. The last time we saw you cry, Clinton was in office,” Yakko replied sarcastically. 

“That’s _different_ , Yakko. I’m the oldest. It’s my job to shield you guys from the relentless string of calamities that fate _apparently_ thinks we deserve. It’s _my job_ to keep you all safe and… and happy. It’s not your responsibility, Yakko… It never should have been. I-I’m sorry,” Thea said hoarsely. 

Yakko had been unintentionally promoted to second in command after the Warners were locked in. He took it on without complaint.

Thea hated to think about it. 

She had studied relentlessly so that she could fix whatever broke, inside and out. 

But it wasn’t enough. 

_She_ wasn’t enough. 

Thea couldn’t keep her siblings happy when they needed it most. 

Hell, she was sure that if the phony smile she plastered on for their sake wavered, she would shatter. 

The responsibility of providing joy fell to Yakko. He made jokes. He came up with _astonishing_ educational songs. He talked nonstop to fill the gaping silence that fell when she stopped singing. 

He grew up too fast and it was _her fault._

“It shouldn’t have been your responsibility, either, Thea,” Yakko mumbled, placing a comforting hand on her back. 

Thea closed her eyes in an attempt to contain the tears that collected in the corners of her eyes. 

She didn’t want to cry. Not now. Not in front of him. 

She had a 23 year record to maintain, after all. 

“You did the best you could, sis. It’s ok. _You’re_ not the one that owes me— _us_ —an apology,” Yakko declared.

He pulled his older sister into a hug. 

Thea stifled a sob.  
  
She tried to disguise the strangled sound as a cough. 

She had a feeling it hadn’t fooled him. 

“Scratchy would have a field day with this,” she joked stiffly. 

It was a desperate attempt to lighten the mood—and to change the subject. Thea felt as though another word about it would double the weight of despair already threatening to crush her chest. 

Yakko picked up on her cue. He shot her one last concerned glance before yawning exaggeratedly. 

“I don’t know about you, big sis, but I’m exhausted. Time to get some sleep!”

Thea smiled, “Would you like a song, too?”

“Can you sing Countries of the World?” He asked with a faux innocent grin.

Despite the fact that she was created to sing, there was one song that bested her every time: Countries of the World. Yakko knew she could only keep up until Ghana. After that, a few of the countries were replaced with vulgarities. 

The little bastard laughed every time. 

“Funny,” Thea deadpanned, “You’re getting Dear Theodosia.”

Thea was proud of her voice, but not because of her capacity to belt, her wide range, or even for her ability to shatter the CEO’s windows. 

Ok, maybe she was proud of that. 

But her greatest pride was singing her siblings to sleep. 

She surveyed the three children curled around her with a loving smile. 

Despite the “relentless string of calamities” that the world threw at them, they were together. 

That was enough for her. 

The next few days were marked with med passes, soup, and singing. 

It was easier to care for patients.

You could separate yourself from the emotion of the situation and focus on providing quality and efficient care. 

This… this was different. 

She couldn’t distance herself from the suffering of the people she loved most. 

She was up with them at all hours of the night, providing reassurance and cleaning the kidney dishes.

She sang them back to sleep so often that she was doing it in her sleep… or at least the fitful bouts of sleep she allowed herself.

Thea knew she couldn’t do this forever. 

Thankfully, the other three were in fair health when her body went on strike. 

Thea knew as soon as she woke up that her immune system had been defeated.

A profound ache seemed to seep into her bones. She shivered despite the three sources of heat nestled against her. Her head pounded with each minute movement.

She felt worse than she had in... half a century, at least.

Oh well. 

Her siblings needed her. 

It was time for a light breakfast and morning medications. She would just have to make some tea and toast, pass meds, and see if they needed anything else.

Piece of cake—they could all rest again in no time. 

Thea knew her mistake as soon as she stood up. 

She should have shifted positions slowly. She should have sat back down. She should have done _something_ to prevent it. 

The moment she rose from bed, the world began to spin and her knees gave out.

Now she was on the floor.

Fantastic. 

“Thea, are you ok?” Dot cried, leaning over the side of the bed. 

“I have never felt better,” Thea declared with a shaky grin. 

“Oh yeah? Then why are you on the floor?” Yakko retorted. 

“I’m admiring the craftsmanship,” Thea responded casually. 

“It’s steel, Thea,” he deadpanned. 

“And what a mighty fine bit of steel it is!” Thea exclaimed, patting the floor appreciatively. 

Her arms trembled when she tried to push herself up. She felt her whole body shake. 

Shit. 

“Man, it’s so well-crafted that I have to look at it again!” She lied, laying back down.

She knew she was a bad liar, but this was pathetic. 

“Who’s too stubborn for their own good now?” Yakko asked. 

Damn it, he had a point. 

“Can you just help me off the floor? Please?” She sighed. 

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot helped her onto the side of the bed. Thea’s head still swam, but now, a lovely surge of nausea accompanied it. She closed her eyes. 

Wakko pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. He shot a worried glance at the others. They returned it.

She hadn’t been sick, let alone to this extent, in decades. 

“Whelp, sis, it looks like we’re gonna have to put you down,” Yakko said, patting Thea’s shoulder.

“You look terrible and you lie as well Adam Sandler acts,” Dot stated matter-of-factly. 

“Ok, I think we’ve put you down enough. Now it’s time to get some rest,” Yakko concluded. 

“You guys are still sick. I can’t just… I won’t leave you…” Thea protested, batting away Dot’s attempts to guide her into bed. 

“We’re better off than you,” Dot countered, finally shoving her older sister into bed. 

“I’m _fine!_ ” Thea cried, sitting up abruptly. 

_Uh oh_. 

Thea dove for an emesis basin.

She made it just in time. 

Thea hardly even noticed the tears that now saturated her fur, even if they had broken her 23 year record. Her shoulders heaved as she tried to catch her breath, which came in ragged gasps. Her hands trembled so violently that the basin shook. 

She glanced into the kidney dish. 

_Oof_. 

“This proves nothing,” Thea insisted.

“Sis, come _on_ …” Yakko said in exasperation.

Wakko crawled onto the bed. He carefully took the basin and laid it on the bedside table. He snuggled into Thea, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rested her hand on his back with a soft smile. 

“When I was sick, you held me. Now, I’m going to hold you, whether you like it or not,” Wakko declared. 

“Let us take care of you,” Dot said, climbing onto the bed and gently wiping the tears on Thea’s cheeks, “It’s the least I can do for ruining your dress.”

“We’ll even sing to you if you want!” Yakko added, sitting on the bed beside her, “United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Haiti, Jamaica, Peru—”

Thea shook her head with a huge grin, “I’m alright, thanks. But y’know what sounds perfect?” 

They leaned forward in anticipation. 

“The three of you, continuing to rest and drink plenty of fluids, because we all have the flu now—yeah, yeah, I’ll admit it. But I won’t be deterred. I’ll stay in this bed as long as you comply, ok?” Thea proposed. 

The three younger siblings formed a circle. They whispered conspiratorially, occasionally peeking up to look at her. She raised an expectant eyebrow. 

“Deal!” They said in unison, diving onto the bed. 

“That was a bad idea,” Dot mumbled, clapping her hand over her mouth. 

Thea shoved an emesis basin in front of Dot, rubbing her younger sister’s back reassuringly. Once Dot was done, Thea carefully wiped her sister’s mouth with a tissue and offered her a glass of water.

No matter how sick Thea was, she would always be their big sister first.

Thea pulled Dot into her lap. The younger girl curled into her sister’s embrace. 

“Alright, I’m freezing and I bet you guys are, too, so c’mere,” Thea ordered. 

She draped blankets from her personal stash around each of them, pressing a kiss into each of their foreheads.

They were all sick anyway, what was the use of keeping their distance? 

Not that they really had after Wakko fell ill.

Maybe next time they’d learn... but then again, probably not.

“Can you sing for us?” Dot asked, staring up at her.

Thea would have commented on her sister’s use of her notorious puppy-dog eyes if Dot had felt a bit better. This time she would let it slide.

Thea smiled down at Dot, “Sure, love. Any requests?”

“Tomorrow,” Wakko suggested. 

The others nodded enthusiastically in agreement. 

“Great choice,” Thea replied with a smile.   
  
Her voice was weaker than she was used to, but it did the job just the same.

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot were asleep by the end of the song.

Thea pressed one last kiss into their foreheads before nodding off.

**Author's Note:**

> This was mostly for me, ngl.  
> Don’t come at me about the Adam Sandler joke.  
> 


End file.
